Aaaaand She's Gone
by tomweaverdrums
Summary: Pre Volume 3. Blake's run away. Her team want to know why. Inspired by Arryn Zech (Blake's VA) leaving RT. I wanted to see how team RWBY react to Blake running away on a more permanent basis as opposed to the end of Vol. 1 where she didn't actually leave Vale. My first RWBY fic and my second ever so please be nice. Reviews, follows and all that stuff are always greatly appreciated.
1. Chapter 1

There were many things Yang had expected to find upon her return from third period Remnant History, a goodbye note from Blake wasn't one of them. But that is what she found, well what she actually found was Ruby and Weiss sat on Weiss' bed holding the note, tears forming in both of their eyes. Setting down her books, she walked up to them and grabbed the note, ignoring Ruby's protest. Clearing her throat, she began to read aloud.

" _Dear Yang, Ruby and Weiss,_

 _I'm sorry that you have to find out like this but I'm leaving Beacon. Not permanently, for I do hope to return one day, however my past appears to have caught up with me. I need to find out what it all means and to do that I need to go back to the world where I grew up, the world beyond Remnant. Please don't come looking for me, this is something I need to do alone._

 _Weiss, despite our differences, I believe that if our time together had been longer, we could have grown to be lifelong friends. As I write these words I realise that when we first met I judged you based solely on the actions of your father and, while I still find his practises inhuman and unforgivable, I can do nothing but apologise for my assumptions. I hope that one day the Schnee name will be associated with your kind-heartedness and compassion rather than your fathers acts of discrimination and ignorance._

 _Yang, you are a Huntress through and through. Tough to take down and even harder to make stay down, you are the kind of warrior who's presence will allow people to feel safe in their homes knowing you are watching over them. I hope that when, if, I return their will be stories of the great Yang Xiao Long, defending the people of Vale from the ever-advancing darkness of the Grimm. I wish that we could have become closer and that maybe, just maybe, we could've been partners in more than just combat."_

Yang stopped reading and blushed. She had no idea that Blake might have had those kinds of feelings towards her. While she couldn't say her feelings were reciprocated, she was touched beyond words that she had found her way so deep into someone's heart in such a small amount of time. Turning away from the other two, hoping they hand't noticed her blush, she began reading again.

" _Ruby, sweet little Ruby. All I can say is that you are the little sister that I never had. Yang should be proud of you and you of her. You have so much of your life left in front of you, use it wisely. Do not make the mistakes I have made for they have the potential to haunt you forever._

 _In the event that we never meet again, I would just like to say that while brief, our time together has been unforgettable and I pray that you all become the best huntresses you can be. You will all be missed dearly._

 _Sincerely, Blake."_

Setting the note down, silence settled over the room for a few seconds before Ruby spoke up. "Yang, why would Blake just leave?" She asked, confusion and hurt strong in her voice.

"I don't know Ruby, I just don't know." She replied, her voice heavy and her mind largely elsewhere. The three of them all sat together for a few minutes, Ruby began crying again at some point, her quiet sobs summing up the feelings of the group. They were pulled from their collective thoughts by the school bell. Silently standing up, Ruby dried her eyes and grabbed her backpack, Weiss and Yang following suit. Together the three of them headed to class, a cloud of sadness around them so thick it was almost physical.

The class seemed to drag on forever, all throughout Yang would find her gaze wandering to Blake's now vacant seat. After spending the entire class lost in thought, the final bell of the day was a shock to Yang, snapping her back into reality. As she stood up to leave she took one last longing look at Blake's desk and quietly spoke one word.

"Why?"

Sleep didn't come easily to any of the remaining members of Team RWBY that night. Ruby tossed and turned, falling asleep for minutes at a time. She finally embraced sleep at around 7 AM but it was far from peaceful. In her dreams she was in the middle of a snowstorm, she saw Blake kneeling in front of a shadowy figure in the distance. She tried calling out, however the storm stole her words and she was left to watch as Blake stood and began to walk away, following the figure. She ran after them but no matter how hard she tried, she never seemed to get any closer. She was then rudely awoken, along with everyone else, by the clock towers 8 o'clock chimes.

Weiss lay in her bed, quiet and still, her mind racing. At around 2 AM she got up and made coffee, sitting cross-legged on her bed, holding the warm cup in her hands, she thought about what Blake had said in her letter. "Do not make the mistakes I have made for they have the potential to haunt you forever." Taking a sip from her coffee, there was only one thought in her head. "What mistakes could she be talking about?"

Yang gave up on sleep at around 4 AM and decided to make use of the schools 24 hour gym. Tiptoeing out of the door as not to disturb the others, she stalked silently down the empty, dimly lit, corridor until she reached the entrance to the female changing rooms. Walking through them into the gym proper, she saw that someone had left a punch bag hung up in the gyms far corner. Walking up to it, she stood, staring at the bag for before channelling all of her emotions into a single punch and bringing it crashing down, ripping the mounting clean from the roof. Turning on her heel, she stalked back to her room and allowed an uneasy sleep to claim her.

* * *

Blake was woken by the sound of water dripping into shack she had called home for the night. Reluctantly opening one sleep-filed eye she saw the culprit, the window - well, the piece of oversized thin plastic nailed to the wall that was called a window - had been blown inward and was allowing rain to run down it and fall onto the shacks hard concrete floor. Sighing, she threw off the covers and pulled herself into a sitting position, shivering as her skin was greeted by cold, moist air.

As she sat there she thought back to her room in Beacon, with its thick, heat-trapping blankets and double-glazed, weather-proof windows. She would never admit to anyone that she missed it, that she missed seeing Weiss' rather impressive shoe collection, lined up with military precision against the wall. That she missed the way Yang would occasionally sneak alcohol into the campus and the two of them would sit atop the dorm building, sharing tales over drinks. Many times Blake had almost let her feelings for Yang slip during these alcohol-fuelled conversations but she had always managed to keep them hidden.

And she missed the air of innocence bought to the team by Ruby, sweet little Ruby. Admitted to Beacon two years early and having been spared the hardships in life endured by Blake, Ruby's innocence had given her hope that she was doing the right thing by becoming a Huntress. That she, and the world, could change given enough time. After allowing these thoughts to stir for a few more seconds, she pulled herself to her feet. Looking around the shacks mostly empty single room, she let out another heavy sigh before pulling a small knife from her backpack and walking over to the shacks thin wooden wall. Inscribed on the wall were names and messages from all of the people who had called it home, some for a single night and others for weeks on end.

"Took shelter from a storm, I thought the rain was gonna collapse the roof." One message read. Another told a long elaborate story involving an unfaithful wife and her angry, body builder lover. Stepping on to her tiptoes in order to reach a relatively unmarked space, Blake added her own name to the hundreds already present. Taking a step back and looking at her handiwork, she felt a slight pang of regret for the shack. Many of the names on the wall claimed it had saved their lives, in some cases literally. It had been the background for some of the most terrifying and most exhilarating moments of people's lives, yet it was allowed to sit here, largely abandoned and forgotten.

Turning her back to the wall and brushing away the tear bought to her eye by these thoughts. Blake donned her black satin shawl (a present from her team on her birthday. She hadn't had a birthday present in so long she had nearly cried when it was presented to her), lifted its hood to protect her from the rain, grabbed her backpack, the once proud logo of Beacon Academy muddied and defaced - a necessary evil - and walked to the shacks door. Placing her hand on the door-frame, she paused for a moment.

"I'll remember you." She spoke softly, the rain and wind stealing her words. With that, she stepped outside and left the shack and its memories behind.

* * *

"Miss Belladonna's decisions are ultimately her own. I cannot allow three of my students to venture out beyond the city walls un-accompanied. And besides, even if you manage to find her, what makes you think she even wants to return to the school?" Ozpin questioned, picking up his coffee cup and inspecting its contents.

"But professor, what if she's in trouble out there. Or hurt. We're her friends, we have to at least try to find her!" Ruby protested, her voice growing desperate.

Opine took a sip of his coffee. "Miss Belladonna has seen and done things that have given her an image of the world far beyond what is expected from other girls her age." He set his cup down and stared at the girls. "And I have no illusions about her ability to protect herself. Do not forget that she was one of the White Fangs best warriors. However one thing I do doubt is that she would want her friends to needlessly endanger themselves by going looking for her."

"Professor," Yang began, stepping forward. "Isn't she still technically a student of the Academy? And don't you have a duty of care towards your students?" She put her hands on her hips, awaiting her answer.

"Indeed I do." He replied, leaning back in his chair, crossing his hands in front on him. "However, the moment she decided to run away was the moment she ceased to be a student at Beacon. Students can come and go as they please, not everyone is suited for the life a Huntsman or Huntress." He glanced at his watch. "I'm afraid we've run short of time. I must be going. I have a meeting planned with General Ironwood concerning the upcoming tournament." He rose from his chair, grabbing his cane and walked around the desk.

"But professor…" Ruby began before being silenced by a look from Yang. "Yes sir." She replied forlornly, hanging her head and turning to walk towards the elevator.

"Thank you for your time professor." Weiss added, bowing slightly.

"The same to you Miss Schnee." He replied, bowing his head in return. He turned to Yang. "However, if you do find out any more concerning Miss Belladonna's disappearance, keep me informed." She nodded in acceptance and turned, jogging lightly to meet the others.

Once the three of them were on-board the elevator and it began to descend, Ruby turned to Yang. "Yang, what did he mean when he said Blake had done things that changed her image of the world?" She asked, confused by his rather cryptic wording.

"I don't know Ruby." She paused, concern written on her face. "But I get the feeling we don't want to know because if we did, we might never look at Blake the same way again."


	2. Chapter 2

**Right, exactly a month later. This chapter was particularly tough because I actually lost most of it when my computer died halfway through a writing session. It was also a pain because it's a mix of back story on Blake and White Fang and a progression of the last chapter. It actually went through several re-writes to get it to where I was happy with it. Anyway, enough of me rambling. Enjoy.**

* * *

Nightmares have been a part of Blake's life for as far back as she could remember. She suffered from them as a little girl while travelling with the White Fang, the horrific realities of life as a Faunas not content stay within her waking hours. When awoken by these nightmares, she would seek out Adam and he would sacrifice his bed, sitting on the floor and reading to her softly until she fell into a slightly calmer sleep.

As she grew older and more adventurous, she would instead forgo sleep entirely and sneak away to explore her ever-changing surroundings, taking advantage of the dark to learn all she could about where she found herself and often only returning when the sun began to rise. This exploration is where she learned to disguise her Faunas heritage with black bow made of the finest silk, given to her by Adam for her birthday. It would be her last celebration for several years.

The White Fang who, for the time being, still believed in achieving their goal of equality through peaceful means, often found themselves the targets of other terrorist groups. Gangs of villagers that opposed Faunas rights would search for their camps. Sometimes they would simply run them out of the area but, other times, their actions were much worse.

It was this constant threat to not only the lives of those actively protesting for their cause, but those of the White Fang who were non-partisan, the mothers and the children that were being targeted, that pushed the organisation ever-closer to militarisation. The final act that pushed them over the edge was when, late one summer, after being chased from a village by a mob, their camp was set ablaze in the middle of the night.

While the fire was caught early, the dryness of the ground and the surrounding forest meant that, before it could be extinguished, it claimed their camp, leaving little left but smouldering rags where their tents once stood. Many Faunas either perished or were permanently scarred. Many of the elderly Faunas that travelled with the group did not survive, losing their lives to either of the blaze itself or as a result of smoke inhalation.

Neither Blake nor Adam escaped the fire unharmed. Blake suffered various minor cuts and burns along her arms and legs from moving debris to allow those that were able to avoid the blaze to escape. These went largely unnoticed and simply joined the many others she had gained as a result of opposition to their various protests.

Adam however, suffered more permanent injuries. He was blinded in his right eye while rescuing infants trapped inside the tent that passed for the camps nursery, which had been created with the hope of raising a new generation of Faunas that would never know discrimination. The wound would contribute to the adoption of his signature Grimm mask later on, after the groups call to arms. Until he adopted the mask, his wounds were used not only as an example of the dangers most Faunas faced everyday simply for being different, but also as an example of the strength and resilience of the White Fangs members and their dedication to its cause.

The destruction of their camp and loss of his eye marked the beginning of Adam's transformation, in Blake's opinion, from the soldier of peace he had once been into the monster she would abandon on a Schnee Dust Company train years later. His previously steadfast refusal to harm others to further their cause faded away and he not only became one of the first to embrace violence when it broke out, but also one of the first to suggest it as a solution to a problem where it may do more harm then good.

The fire was seen as an act of war against the White Fang by its commanders and, after several tense days of debate, it was decided that retribution must be dealt.

While Blake was not involved directly with the attack on the village so did not see what transpired, its lasting effects on the group were hard to miss. Those that were involved returned that morning in silence with clouded eyes and sombre faces, some even sporting fresh wounds. They refused to speak of what had taken place and she, in hindsight, realised that for many it marked the beginning of the White Fang's journey from a group of Faunas campaigning for equality to a trained and equipped militia.

* * *

It was an unseasonably cold day in Vale. The wind whipped at people's collars and the sky, heavy with grey clouds, threatened rain. With the hood of her shawl pulled down to cover as much of her face as possible, Blake walked silently though the throng of people in Vale's main street. She desperately wanted to leave the city and she knew that the longer she stayed, the more chance of her former teammates catching up to her. But there was still one thing she had to do first.

Turning left into a side street, she walked up to a door. She knocked and a few seconds later the door opened a few inches and Sun's face appeared. "Oh Blake, hey." He sounded surprised. "Ruby just called and said you'd gone missing. She asked if I'd seen you." He opened the door wider, allowing her to see past him to the inside of the room. Neptune was asleep on the couch. "I didn't know you knew where I lived. You wanna come in?"

She shook her head politely. "No Sun, I'm actually here because I have something to tell you." She said. Her voice quiet, her tone heavy.

"Oh yeah? What's that?" He stepped outside and closed the door behind him. There was silence for a few seconds while she gathered her thoughts and, with a deep breath, she began.

"I'm leaving Sun. I'm leaving Beacon, leaving Vale, leaving Remnant even. I'm going back to where I grew up and where I became involved with the White Fang. I need to know why they're doing what they're doing. I need to know what they're doing with all the Dust they've stolen, what their plan is. Not just for Vale but for the whole of Remnant. And I can only do that by going back."

"Ok then." He replied, turning to open the door. "You wait here, I'll pack my bag and call Ruby, get them to meet us at the docks." Reaching out, Blake grabbed his hand before he could open the door.

"No Sun." She took a step closer, the two of them now inches apart. "The reason I've come here isn't to ask you to come with me. It's to say goodbye. Goodbye, maybe forever. And before I left I wanted to say…" She paused, fighting back tears. "I wanted to say that I'm going to miss you and…" She paused again, her words escaping her. After a few seconds of silence she gave up on speech and, standing on her tiptoes, placed a single, gentle kiss on his cheek.

Kept in place from shock, Sun watched as Blake turned and began to walk away. As she approached the mouth of the side street, she turned and cast one last look back. Their eyes met and they held each other's gaze for a moment before, pulling her hood back over head, she stepped out into the street and he lost her to the crowd.

* * *

"She did what?!" Yang cried into her scroll, causing both Weiss and Ruby in the room and Sun on the other end to wince.

"She kissed me. She came to my place, told me she was leaving and then kissed me." He held his scroll away from his ear as more shouting followed. After the noise had died down, he held it back to his ear. "So I assume we're going after her right? I mean we can't just let her leave."

Ruby's voice replaced Yang's on the other end. "I don't know Sun, she did say she didn't want us to follow her. I want to find her too but what if she gets upset that we followed her? It might do more harm than good."

"Well I don't care if you guys come with me or not. I'm going out to look for her." With that he ended the call and stepped back inside, Neptune had woken and was sat flicking absent-mindedly through different TV channels.

"She's gone hasn't she?" He asked casually, not even looking up.

"Yeah she has." Sun replied, grabbing his backpack and throwing an empty one at Neptune. "And we're going to find her before she gets hurt."

Sighing, Neptune stood up and began to pack his bag. "I get that you like her and all..." He paused. "But isn't chasing her after she's left town kinda stalker-ish?" He questioned, earning him a sharp look from Sun.

"Theirs's something not right, like she's scared of something." He turned his attention back to his scroll, he was getting another call. Looking at the caller ID he let out a sigh, it was Weiss. Turning to Neptune, he threw him the scroll. "You take it, she seems to like you."

"You think so?" He asked, staring at the screen for a split second before answering. "Hey."

* * *

"Ok, thanks Neptune." Weiss' singsong voice seemed impossibly loud in the quiet dorm room. Ruby and Yang were sat on Yang's bed, lost in thought. Weiss had never seen the pair so quiet, especially when in a room together. Clearing her throat to grab their attention, she began to relay Neptune's information.

"Blake was with Sun and Neptune 15 minutes ago and she left heading south, towards the docks. Neptune said he and Sun are going after her and we can join them if we want but if not, they said not to interfere." She looked to the sisters and the three of them picked up their backpacks. "I think we should take them up on their kind offer."

"She's headed to the docks, so does that mean she really is trying to leave Vale?" Ruby asked, crestfallen.

Yang pulled her sibling in close. "I don't know Rubes but if we find her she'll have a lot of explaining to do." Rolling her shoulders, Yang stood and headed for the door. "But if we wanna catch her before she reaches the docks we better go." Looking to each other and nodding in agreement, Ruby and Weiss followed suit.

"I'm gonna miss this place." Neptune thought aloud as he and Sun stepped outside and into the small side street in which their apartment was located.

"What makes you say that? You think we're not gonna be coming back?" Sun asked, turning to face his blue-haired friend.

"Well if she hasn't left yet, we're looking for one girl among tens of thousands of people and if she has left," He looked Sun in the eyes. "Depending where she went, it could be literally one out of millions."

"Gee, thanks for the confidence boost man." Sun turned and locked the door to their apartment. "But, as much as I don't want to admit it, I can't help but feel like you're kinda right." Stepping away from the door, he took one last look at the building that had been their home for the brief time the pair had been in Vale. "I guess we'd better get going." The pair walked no more than ten steps when a voice called out that made a shiver run down Sun's spine.

"Hey, you better not be going without us!"


End file.
